THE MUSLIM EXPERIENCE by Salaha Khan
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THE PROCESS OF CRAFTING AN AUTHENTIC IDENTITY IN THE CONTEXT OF IMMIGRATION TO CANADA: THE MUSLIM EXPERIENCE by Salaha Khan A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Adult Education and Counselling Psychology Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Salaha Khan 2012 THE PROCESS OF CRAFTING AN AUTHENTIC IDENTITY IN THE CONTEXT OF IMMIGRATION TO CANADA: THE MUSLIM EXPERIENCE Doctor of Philosophy 2012 Salaha Khan Department of Adult Education and Counselling Psychology University of Toronto ABSTRACT This study looked at the experience of religion and the formation of a contemporary ethnoreligious identity in the lives of first generation Pakistani Muslim immigrant men and women who have been residents of Canada for five to ten years. The present research explored the life experiences of Muslim immigrants from Pakistan who immigrated to Canada with their immediate families and resolved the ensuing cultural dislocation. In order to understand the subjective meanings of immigrants’ lived experiences in Canada, the present study used a Grounded Theory framework. The analysis of data revealed a four stage theory of Muslim identity formation. Those stages describe the step-by-step process that highlights immigrants’ experience of culture shock, resolution of culture shock through immigrants’ reaffirmation of their religion that lays the groundwork for an authentic identity through differentiation of self from their country of origin, and formation of an authentic Muslim identity in the host society. It is proposed that the resolution of culture shock and the creation of a post-immigration identity mirrors the developmental process of Differentiation of Self and Other as outlined by Watson (2011) in her process model of becoming a self-governing person. Using their faith as a key resource to cope, these immigrants achieve a renewed sense of self and a revitalized faith. Immigrants come to an enhanced appreciation of Islam as the best system of life for themselves. ii An improved relationship with faith enhances immigrants’ awareness about the actual philosophy of its system and helps immigrants internalize the desirable Muslim character traits which focus on altruism, modesty, tolerance, fairness, forgiveness, and inclusion. Internalizing the pro social values of Islam brings about a fundamental shift in these immigrants’ perspectives about self and the host society. They successfully differentiate themselves from their country of origin to thrive in their adopted country. Canada provides them a conducive context which helps them access their positive potential in becoming their ideal self, the true Muslims. They come to an increased appreciation of the new society and accept it as their new home, thus form a new identity that speaks for the authentic version of Islam. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I want to thank Allah for all of the blessings that I have in life. I would like to express my gratitude to my research participants whose insights and willingness to share their experience made this project possible. I am thankful to them for their trust in sharing their stories and struggles with me and I am deeply impressed by the resilience and positivity that they hold about their life in Canada. I wish them best of luck in their pursuits and sincerely hope that they fulfill their dream of demonstrating the true version of Islam in Canada through their positive characters and their efforts be positively received by the Canadian society as well. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Jeanne Watson, my dissertation supervisor whose support and encouragement helped me sustain the many hard phases of this long journey. Jeanne, you helped me feel entitled to dream and find ways to realize those dreams. You supported me through many hard phases of this journey, the times when I really felt like giving up. Your encouragement, support and constructive feedback helped me take the ownership of this research and made it the best and most positive learning experience of my life. I am also very thankful to Dr. Kim Noel my external examiner for her extremely helpful, constructive and thought provoking comments and suggestions on my dissertation. My special thanks to Dr. Charles Chen, my committee member whose support, generosity, and kindness helped me feel grounded and supported me through different phases of my academic journey. I also want to express my heart filled gratitude to Dr. Abby Goldstein whose constructive feedback, comments and suggestions helped me envision my research from very important angles. I also want to thank Dr. Margaret Schneider and Dr. John Portelli for their support and time. iv My very special thanks to Dr. Syed for her support, precious time and extremely helpful feedback and comments on my dissertation. Thank you for the many evenings that you devoted on helping me prepare for my defense. Your help meant the world to me. I am also indebted to Linah Hashimi for her comments, feedback and editing on my dissertation. Thanks to my very special friend Carla whose support and love has been instrumental in my life. Very special thanks to my CSD Centennial team, Irene, Carla, Lynda, Lorene, Craig, Beth, Jessica, Christine, Rakhi, Paula, Joanne, for their support and best wishes for me. I owe special thanks to my family, especially my Dad whose prayers and best wishes always helped me through hard times in life. Thank you for your love and your prayers Abbu; your prayers and love are the best assets for me. Special thanks to my sister Rahat and brother- in-law Nasir for their unending support, love and care during the many years of my PhD; may Allah always bless you. Thanks to my bothers Sajjad, Irshad, and Shahzad for their unending love and support; my sisters, Rahat, Farah, Huma, and Novera for their support and best wishes for me. My very special thanks go to my three beautiful children Hamna, Sana and Azher who patiently endured all the hardships with me and who filled my life with the most precious love and happiness. Their love had been the biggest buffer and motivation in my personal, emotional and academic life and I wish them every success and happiness in life. Last but not the least, my heartfelt thanks to Masood, my husband whose trust and love had been so instrumental in my life. You always made me feel loved and reassured. I wouldn’t be here without your love and support Masood. v Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................... vi Appendices ..............................................................................................................................................viii Dedication ................................................................................................................................................ ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................ 1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY .................................................................................................................... 1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ................................................................................................................... 3 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY ....................................................................................................................... 5 LITERATURE REVIEW..................................................................................................................................... 9 RELIGION………… ........................................................................................................................................... 9 Dimension or Aspect of Religion .............................................................................................................. 10 Religion and Mental Health ....................................................................................................................... 12 THE PROCESS OF ACCULTURATION AND ADAPTATION IN THE CONTEXT OF IMMIGRATION. 15 MULTICULTURALISM IN CANADA - THE CANADIAN CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS MOSAIC .... 17 CANADIAN IMMIGRATION: THE CROSSROADS OF CULTURAL, RACIAL, AND RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY………………….. ......................................................................................................................... 19 ISLAM……………. .......................................................................................................................................... 20 Al-Qur’an…. .............................................................................................................................................. 21 The Five Pillars of Islam: The Underlying Philosophy for a Healthy Individual and Communal Life ..... 22 PAKISTAN – A SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND RELIGIOUS MOSAIC.......................................................... 25 Culturally Endorsed Gender Roles in Pakistan versus Islamic Outlook on Gender Roles ........................ 25 Cultural, Religious and Social Life in Pakistan ........................................................................................